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Foreign Office Minister welcomes widening international support for Libya Contact Group

FCO Minister Alistair Burt: "Today's Contact Group reaffirmed the international community's commitment to implementing UN Security Council Resolutions 1970 and 1973."

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

Speaking after the Abu Dhabi Contact Group on Libya, Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, Alistair Burt said:

“There is a powerful and ever growing consensus that the time has come to open a new chapter in Libya’s history. Qadhafi’s regime is crumbling. He has lost all legitimacy and must go immediately.

“Today’s Contact Group reaffirmed the international community’s commitment to implementing UN Security Council Resolutions 1970 and 1973, to protect the Libyan people. The international coalition continues to grow in strength, and I welcome the widening international support for Contact Group, with Egypt and South Africa attending for the first time.

“We heard today the National Transitional Council’s credible efforts to prepare for the future and set Libya on a path of transition. The Contact Group will offer support for this process, and will also fully support the efforts of UN Special Envoy al-Khatib.

“I also welcome progress made today to set up the Temporary Financial Mechanism as a means to provide support to the Libyan people, and welcome the very substantial donations announced by regional states.

“The growing authority and capacity of the NTC contrasts sharply with a regime losing key people, territory, resources and what shred of reputation it had left. In view of inexorable and inevitable progress against it, the regime should accept the will of the international community and Libyans themselves by stopping the killing of their own people and declare that Qadhafi has no place in Libya’s future.”

Published 9 June 2011